He who comes back can continue to serve

The soldier who fights for his country and returns to become those lobstermen, bike messengers, truck drivers and farm workers is the true hero, for they continue to serve America.

As Patton once stated, "The purpose is to make the other poor bastard die for his country."

Justin Hahn (Letters, Aug. 10) sounds jealous. Perhaps he should give the military a try -- unless of course he can't measure up.

Larry Sherrod
Retired Sgt. 1st Class, U.S. Army
Memphis, Tenn.

Son's enlistment brings many feelings

Next week my youngest son, who is 19, will go off to basic training in the Army to serve in the 442nd Infantry.

These past months I had to do a lot of soul-searching about my role as an American. I have always considered myself to be patriotic, but when my son told me he wanted to join the Army, my first response was NO!

His joining the Army went against everything I planned for him in my mind. You know how you map out your child's life? High school, college, graduate school, falling in love with the perfect girl, getting married and then having kids. Never in that road map of life did I envision him joining the military or going to war, and when I watched the news about heroic young men and women fighting in the war I never thought it would one day be part of my personal world.

So this tested my patriotism, and after much thought and reflection I now believe that patriotism is everything from singing the national anthem at a football game to letting your greatest asset, your son, serve your country. And of all of the things my son has done in his life, his decision to join the Army has made me by far the proudest. He has shown to me that on his own he is a man of integrity and honor, as he is willing to risk his own life to serve his country.

I have never felt more patriotic and more proud of my son.

Tammy Kubo
Honolulu

Avoid carcinogenic water-salted eggs

Water-salting eggs is a hobby of mine since given a recipe by my grand-uncle Kyung Sik Lee, who came to Hawaii from Korea in the late 1800s. When done correctly it is a safe, delicious way of preserving eggs, reminiscent of salted duck eggs from China.

Since 2006, Beijing has banned the production of salted duck eggs. It was discovered that farmers were feeding Sudan Red Dye IV to their chickens, thereby producing a "superior" orange/red yolk. Sudan Red is a carcinogenic dye used for floors and leather and is not meant for consumption. Hundreds of thousands of kilograms of these eggs were discovered still on sale in China last year.

If one does not believe that China isn't driven by profit, why is this product still being sold in Hawaii? You can still get them by walking into any Chinese market but they will be sold cooked, as though cooking somehow renders carcinogens inert. They are also easily ordered at any Chinese restaurant.

Accurate, safe recipes can be found online for anyone who is interested.

Maureen B. Ko
Honolulu

Abercrombie, Hirono on right energy path

U.S. Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Mazie Hirono deserve praise for their votes in favor of an energy package that will help us begin to fight global warming and end our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels.

The recent House energy bills, which Abercrombie and Hirono supported, mark the beginning of a dramatic reorientation of our energy policy toward renewable energy, energy efficiency and a new energy economy designed to benefit everyone.

These energy policies will be good for our country, good for our economy and jobs, and good for the environment.

After years of a Congress focused on outdated and polluting energy policy, it is refreshing to instead see an energy bill that invests in clean renewable energy instead of shoveling billions of dollars in unnecessary subsidies to the coal, oil and nuclear industries.

Lance Holter
Political chairman
Hawaii Sierra Club
Paia, Maui

Kingdom had lottery, so why doesn't state?

In response to Volker Hildebrandt's Aug. 8 letter, "Hawaii's being driven back to the kingdom": The kingdom of Hawaii legislature passed a lottery bill in 1893 allowing native Hawaiians, immigrant settlers and visitors to purchase lottery tickets, the winning ticket being predetermined and ultimately selected in a chance drawing. The winner would receive a cash jackpot prize.

With the excessive price of fuel, taxes, housing and health care, it's interesting to note that the current state Legislature has never passed a lottery bill.

The kingdom's lottery was one of the reasons why the Committee of Safety, the greedy sugar planters and the U.S. president Benjamin Harrison's administration overthrew the queen, because the lottery would have empowered the average citizens, especially the native Hawaiians.

Could the missionary descendants of the Committee of Safety and the transnational corporations that control Hawaii at the present time be the main lobbying force against the Hawaii lottery bill?

Eric Po'ohina
Kailua

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